Lander tops AU in softball

GREENWOOD - The Anderson University softball team opened its 2012 season with a pair of setbacks, falling 6-1 and 8-7 to Lander Sunday afternoon at Doug Spears Field.

Game #1

Lander 6, Anderson 1

Sophomore center fielder Charlotte Sieber led the way offensively for the Trojans, going two-for-three with a double and an RBI, while freshman designated player Rachel Rhodes recorded one of six singles by the Trojans in the opener and scored AU's lone run.

Freshman hurler Larissa Ostapiak suffered the loss, giving up nine hits and six runs – two earned – in six innings of work.

Junior Brittney Sheriff paced the Bearcats with two hits and a walk in the opener, while scoring a run and also recording an RBI.

Senior Hayley Leissner went the distance for Lander, scattering seven hits and striking out seven.

Anderson freshman Jessica Neidigh led off the game with a single in her first collegiate at-bat, but the Trojans were unable to capitalize as Leissner silenced the AU bats until shortstop Abby Child recorded a one-out single to left in the fourth inning.

The Bearcats took advantage of Leissner's effort in the circle, sandwiching a pair of runs in the first and third innings around a solo run in the second, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after three innings.

Anderson cut the Lander lead to 5-1 in the fifth, when Rhodes singled to center field, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Charlotte Sieber's double to left field.

Lander loaded the bases in the sixth inning with no outs, and scored the game's final run on Jaime Presnell's RBI single.

Game #2

Lander 8, Anderson 7

The Trojans' bats came alive in the second game to fuel two rallies, as AU banged out 12 hits in the nightcap, with five going for extra bases.

Sieber posted another multi-hit game, going a perfect 2-for-2, while freshman Rebecca Martin was two-for-three and scored a run. Sophomore Danielle Swygert went 2-for-4 with an RBI-double and scored a run. Rhodes had two hits, including a double and an RBI, with catcher Laura Jansky adding a fourth-inning home run. Neidigh recorded a double in three at-bats, with a run scored and an RBI. Brook Lucas also notched a double.

Neidigh (0-1) suffered the loss for Anderson, walking two and allowing three runs on six hits in three innings pitched, while Leissner posted her second win of the day as she struck out five, and allowed one earned run on four hits in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Lander opened the game with a 2-0 lead as Sheriff tripled and scored on a fielding error and Jamie Presnell followed with an RBI-single. Anderson trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the third when Sieber singled to left, stole second and scored on Neidigh's RBI double to center field.

But Lander added three more runs in the third on a two-run homer from Alyssa Hartley, giving Lander a 4-1 lead and Heather Yoder followed with an RBI single that plated Arielle Buchholz.

Trailing, 5-1, the Trojans used the fourth and fifth innings to take a 6-5 lead. Jansky belted a solo one-out homer over the centerfield wall in the fourth to cut it to 5-2. In the fifth, Abby Child ripped a one-out single to left that plated Neidigh and Swygert followed with an RBI double to left to score Martin. Rhodes added a single with two outs that scored Child and Swygert crossed the plate on a passed ball to give the Trojans the one-run edge.

Anderson pushed its lead to 7-5 in the sixth when Brooke Lucas led off with a double to right-center and came around to score on Sieber's RBI single.

But Lander rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to earn the victory, as the Trojans were unable to take advantage of Rhodes' one-out double in the top of the seventh.